In a transport system, a plurality of carriers are attached to an endless belt configured to rotate in a circulating manner. At a station, a hand, a driver configured to move the hand in a rotation direction and a vertical direction, a first carrier sensor configured to detect the carriers at a predetermined position upstream of the hand along the rotation direction of the endless driving medium, and a second carrier sensor configured to detect the carriers at a position downstream of the first carrier sensor are provided. When the carriers pass through the second carrier sensor, it is checked whether the moving distance of the belt matches the distance between the two carrier sensors. In this manner, before starting loading or unloading, for example, whether the encoder is operated normally or not can be confirmed.
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1. A transport system comprising: an endless driving medium configured to rotate in a circulating manner; a plurality of carriers attached to the endless driving medium and configured to hold articles for transportation; a plurality of stations provided along the endless driving medium; and a moving distance sensor configured to measure a moving distance of the endless driving medium; wherein each of the plurality of stations includes: a hand configured to load articles to and unload articles from the carriers; a driver configured to move the hand both in a rotation direction of the endless driving medium and in a vertical direction; a first carrier sensor configured to detect the carriers at a predetermined position upstream of the hand along the rotation direction of the endless driving medium; a second carrier sensor configured to detect the carriers at a position downstream of the first carrier sensor; and a signal processor configured to make the driver drive the hand based on the moving distance measured by the moving distance sensor, from detection of the carriers by the first carrier sensor; wherein the signal processor evaluates a difference between the moving distance measured by the moving distance sensor from detection of the carriers by the first carrier sensor and a distance between the first carrier sensor and the second carrier sensor at the second carrier sensor detecting the carriers, and if the difference is greater than an allowable value, the signal processor stops movement of the hand by the driver.
A transport system moves items using carriers attached to a circulating endless belt. Stations along the belt load/unload items. Each station has a hand moved by a driver (motor) both along the belt's direction and vertically. A first sensor detects an approaching carrier. A second sensor detects the carrier after it passes the first. A moving distance sensor measures the belt's movement. The system calculates the expected distance between the two sensors based on the belt's movement between the sensor detections. If the measured distance significantly differs from the expected distance, the hand's movement is stopped to prevent errors, ensuring correct loading/unloading.
2. The transport system according to claim 1 , wherein the first carrier sensor detects the carriers at a predetermined position downstream of a position of starting movement of the hand, and the hand is driven after detection of the carriers by the first carrier sensor and before detection of the carriers by the second carrier sensor.
The transport system with circulating belt, carriers, stations, loading/unloading hand, driver, first and second carrier sensors, and moving distance sensor improves hand accuracy. The first sensor detects the carrier after the hand starts moving. The hand actuation occurs between the first and second carrier sensor detection events. This ensures the hand is activated at the right time and location relative to the carrier's position for loading or unloading, using sensor-based timing for precise coordination.
3. The transport system according to claim 2 , further comprising a second moving distance sensor configured to measure a moving distance from a position of starting movement of the hand; at the second carrier sensor detecting the carriers, the signal processor evaluates a difference between the moving distance measured by the second moving distance sensor and a predetermined moving distance, and with the difference greater an allowable value, the signal processor makes the driver stop the hand.
The transport system with circulating belt, carriers, stations, loading/unloading hand, driver, first and second carrier sensors, and moving distance sensor introduces a second distance sensor. This sensor measures the belt's movement from the moment the hand starts to move. When the second carrier sensor detects the carrier, the system compares the distance traveled by the belt (according to the second distance sensor) with a pre-set expected distance. If the discrepancy is too large, the hand stops moving, providing an additional check on positioning accuracy and preventing potential loading/unloading failures through a redundant distance measurement.
4. The transport system according to claim 3 , wherein the driver drives the hand to pass the second carrier sensor at a same time and at a same velocity with the carrier.
The transport system, previously described with two distance sensors and error checking to halt the hand, ensures smooth transfer. The hand moves alongside the carrier, passing the second sensor at the same time and speed as the carrier. This synchronization allows for continuous loading/unloading while the carrier is in motion, increasing throughput and minimizing disruptions. This eliminates the need for stopping, enabling a continuous and efficient material handling.
5. A transport method comprising the steps of: attaching a plurality of carriers to hold articles to an endless driving medium configured to rotate in a circulating manner, providing a plurality of stations along the endless driving medium; measuring a moving distance of the endless driving medium; providing a hand being configured to load articles and to unload articles from the carriers for each of the plurality of stations; detecting the carriers by a first carrier sensor at a predetermined position upstream of the hand along a rotation direction of the endless driving medium; detecting the carriers by a second carrier sensor at a position downstream of the first carrier sensor; driving the hand by the driver based on the moving distance of the endless driving medium, from detection of the carriers by the first carrier sensor; and evaluating a difference between the moving distance of the endless driving medium from detection of the carriers by the first carrier sensor and a distance between the first carrier sensor and the second carrier sensor at the second carrier sensor detecting the carrier, and if the difference is greater than an allowable value, stopping movement of the hand by the driver.
A method transports items by attaching them to carriers on a circulating endless belt. Stations positioned along the belt load and unload items. Belt movement is tracked by a distance sensor. Each station has a hand that moves to load or unload items. A first sensor detects an incoming carrier. A second sensor detects the carrier downstream of the first. The hand is driven based on the belt's movement after the first sensor detects a carrier. The system calculates the expected distance between sensors based on belt movement during detection events. If the calculated distance doesn't match the actual sensor distance within a specified tolerance, the hand's movement is halted, avoiding misaligned loading/unloading.
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June 2, 2009
July 16, 2013
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